PHANTOM PAIN
by 30secondfics
Summary: [SE09]: Arizona struggles after the plane crash and leaves Callie & Sofia. She comes back to the hospital after 15 years and Sofia doesn't know her. [A/N]: One-shot prompt on 30secondfics.tumblr that turned into a mini multi-chapter.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: All copyrighted material belong to their respective owners. This is a work of fiction. This not for profit. No infringement intended.

~author's note~ I had no idea how to write this so I just threw it out there, hoping for the best. I'd love some constructive feedback if you may. Thanks for reading! :D

Part 1

"I have to go."

She was through having to explain herself. They'd been fighting for hours, but she'd already made her decision. She was leaving.

"No Arizona, you don't get to walk away again! I…I can't do this on my own."

"You can't do it with me either."

"No… NO! Arizona we can get through this. We always get through it." Callie held back the tears that burned in her eyes, "Please."

"We're not the same people anymore, Callie. We're not. The woman you fell in love with died on that plane and I'm sorry, you can't get her back."

"No… Arizona I know you're in there!"

"Can't you see what this whole thing has done to us? Nothing's the same! I know leaving will kill you, but staying here– Calliope, I can't hurt you any more than I already do every day."

"What about our daughter?" Callie crossed her arms, anger now replacing her fear.

"I have money stored away for her. You'll always be taken care of."

"I don't need your money, Arizona! She needs the parent who swore to be there for her before she was even born!"

"Callie she deserves a better parent."

"That doesn't even make sense, and you know that Arizona!"

"I'm sorry," Arizona limped up to her wife and kissed her forehead. "You've been so good to me. I can't stay here and keep hurting you… I'll never love someone as much as I loved you."

"No, no, no, no." Callie closed her eyes and chanted quietly, hoping this was just a nightmare she could wake up from.

When she opened her eyes, the door opened and she watched Arizona Robbins walks out of her life again.

-10 years later-

"Say cheeeese– wait Sofia, hold it up!"

"Oh come on, mom!" the thirteen year old rolls her eyes.

"Do it! I wanna show abuelo how big that plaque is!" Callie stands back to get a wide shot. It's not every day your daughter receives the top average in her class.

"Fiiine," Sofia holds up the large plaque with her name clearly written on it. As embarrassing as it already was, she had to admit that she loved seeing her mother this excited about something.

"Okay, big smile honey!"

Sofia flashes her dimples and gives her mother her best smile.

"I got it!" Callie looks at the camera to check the picture she just took. "Alright, kiddo. Where do you wanna eat dinner?"

"I don't know where do you want to eat?" Sofia shrugs.

"It's YOUR graduation dinner." Callie laughs, "Come on, you have to have some place in mind."

"Hmmm…The Casserole Pit?"

"You want to celebrate the end of your grade school years at The Casserole Pit?" Callie snorts.

"Yeah, why not?"

"You don't want to go somewhere a little fancier? It's my treat."

"Okay, let's go to La Palette." Sofia didn't feel like eating somewhere fancy tonight. To be honest, she was just glad grade school was over with. But she knew it would make her mother feel better.

"French? That's more like it!" Callie smiles and rests her arm around her daughter's shoulders as they walk back to the car. Sofia was growing up to be a beautiful woman, and as of this moment, she was only a couple of inches short of reaching her mother's full height.

"Oh mom, wait! I forgot to say goodbye to Mrs. J. She's been with me since kindergarten, I have to say good bye." The teenager wiggles out of her mother's arms.

"Alright, I'll hold this for you," Callie takes the large plaque from her daughter, "I'll be in the car?"

"Okay, thanks." Sofia walks as fast as she can to the back of the school gym where the teachers were socializing. "Mrs. J!" She catches her old teacher and gives her a hug. This woman was like a second mother to her during her school years and she was going to miss her dearly.

After saying her formal goodbye, Sofia heads towards the doors that lead to the parking lot.

"Congratulations," a woman's voice catches the teenager's attention.

"Th-thank you," Sofia is caught off guard, "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The blonde woman shakes her head, "I'm just a guest here to watch the ceremony. I saw you win top student, congratulations. Your parents must be so proud."

"Oh… yeah, my mom hasn't stopped ogling the plaque, but thank you." Sofia gives the woman a small smile.

"Well you better get back to her!" The woman smiles and stands from her seat.

When Sofia notices her cane and the slight limp in her walk, she holds the door open for her.

"Thank you," the blonde woman smiles.

"No problem, thanks again." Sofia watches the woman walk away and then heads back to her mother.

000

When they get to the restaurant, Callie and Sofia sit by the window as requested. They share a long talk about the future, and about how excited Sofia was for high school, but every now and then Callie would drift away from their conversation. It was something Sofia was used to, and sometimes she wondered what went on in her mother's mysterious head. Callie seemed like a happy person around her, but there have been times when Sofia caught her mother crying alone.

As much as she put on a mask, Sofia knew that Callie was never completely happy. It was almost like part of her was missing. Not that she'd ever bring it up. Her mother was strong and kept that image as she raised Sofia on her own. Sofia figured something had happened in the past to caused her mother this much pain now, but Sofia didn't dare ask.

Callie was Sofia's role model. She raised her to be a strong, beautiful woman and Sofia knew her mother would never let her guard down and show weakness around her. She never has and she never would.

Looking around this evening, it was quite clear to Sofia what her mother was thinking about.

"Did I ever tell you… that I like that it's just us two?" Sofia admits. It was true. Being raised by Callie alone, Sofia developed a tight bond with her mother that was very rare. She was her best friend and mentor at the same time.

"Huh?" Callie snaps out of her thoughts, "Really?"

"Yeah, I do," Sofia looks at the tables around them. Tables were filled with her fellow classmates and other graduates, out for their graduation dinners. Most tables just had their direct family, but other tables were filled with guests and relatives that filled the tables with voices and laughter.

Callie follows her daughter's gaze and then met her eyes again. "You don't feel like you're missing out sometimes do you?"

"Nope!" Sofia sticks her nose up in the air, "Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"I get you all to myself! Tina and Jane always have to share their moms with their siblings, but I get to drag you wherever I want."

Callie gives her daughter a small smile and pinches her cheek across the table. "Okay kiddo, but I'm still not taking you skydiving."

Sofia giggles, "Darn."

-5 years after-

"… and then The King welcomed his daughter back into the kingdom, and the Princess was happy again… the end."

"Sofia?" little Andy struggles to talk behind her oxygen mask, "why did…The King… banish… his daughter… because he loved her?"

"Well, The King thought that he had to save the Princess. He loved her so much that he wanted to protect her from everything, even herself. But we know that she didn't need to be protected because the noble knight gave her true love-"

"Oh!" The door swings open and a blonde woman steps inside the room. "I'm sorry, I didn't know someone was in here with her. I was going to check her vitals; I thought she'd be asleep by now."

"That's okay; we were just telling bedtime stories." Sofia stands from her seat.

"Oh cool… I'm sorry, Dr. Robbins," Arizona offers her hand. "I've been called in to perform Andy's surgery tomorrow. Are you her mother?"

"Me? Oh no," the eighteen year old can't help but giggle. Andy's features could be mistaken as hers, and she loved this child since the day they met, but she saw herself as her older sister. "I'm just a volunteer. Sofia Torres." Sofia shakes the woman's hand.

Arizona's eyes widen and she tries to hide the shock that enters her system. Sofia had grown to be a tall gorgeous woman- not that she thought she would be otherwise. "Nice to meet you, isn't it a little late for volunteers?" Arizona looks at her watch.

"Yeah, but my mother works here. If I stay a few extra hours, I get a ride home," Sofia chuckles. "Plus, Andy here has trouble sleeping at night so we share bed time stories."

"That's real sweet of you," Arizona smiles.

Buzzing from her pocket catches her attention and Sofia pulls out her phone. "Excuse me for a moment." She types into the little gadget and then glances down at Andy. "I'm sorry Andy, I have to go now. I'll see you in the morning?"

"I have… surgery… in the morning," Andy replies.

"I'll be here when you wake up then," Sofia promises. "In the meantime, I'll leave you here with doctor…"

"Robbins." Arizona answers.

"Yes, I'm sure Dr. Robbins will take good care of you." Sofia tugs her coat on and kisses Andy's forehead, "sleep tight, little princess."

"Good night… Princess… Sofia."

Sofia smiles and looks up at Arizona, "I guess I'll see you around, Dr. Robbins."

"I doubt it, I'm only here for the surgery. I'll be back in Texas shortly after." Arizona explains.

"Oh, well good luck with tomorrow morning." Sofia gives her a final smile before stepping out of Andy's room, "It was nice meeting you."


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: All copyrighted material belongs to their respective owners. This is a work of fiction. This not for profit. No infringement intended.

~author's note~ This part gets rough but hold tight, alright? Don't lose hope! :P

Part 2

"Are you dropping by the hospital after school?" Callie asks.

"Uh yeah, I promised Andy," Sofia pokes at her eggs with her fork.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Callie pulls a seat and sits beside her daughter.

"Andy's going into surgery in an hour." Sofia shakes her head to clear her thoughts.

Callie wraps her arm over her daughter's shoulders and gives her a side- hug. "She'll be fine, and Dr. Graham knows what he's doing."

"Oh, he's isn't doing it anymore. They called in Dr. Robbins." Sofia casually mentions.

Callie's face drops, "Dr. Robbins is here?"

"Yeah, she got in last night. You know her?" Sofia notices the look on her mother's face.

"Yeah," Callie clears her throat. "She used to work here."

"You two not get along, or something?" Sofia arches her eyebrow and Callie snaps out of her frozen state.

"No, we were just friends at one point." Callie gives her daughter a weak smile. "Do you want a ride to school today? I don't need to be at work 'till 10."

"It's okay, I was going to meet up with Tony." Sofia decides not to further question her mother.

"Alright, I'll see you later." Callie kisses her daughter's forehead and excuses herself to get ready for her day.

000

Callie quickly locks herself in the bathroom and runs the shower. She hears Sofia leave for school moments later, and she stays under the warm spray of water to sort her thoughts.

When Arizona left, and they filed their divorce, Callie erased her out of Sofia's life. Completely. She thought it was the best thing to do after Sofia lost Mark. Her daughter would grow up mourning the loss of her father, and Callie didn't think her daughter could handle feeling neglected by Arizona on top of that. She'd rather clear her from her life than let Sofia feel the loss of two parents.

At first it was hard to explain that Arizona wasn't coming back. Part of her hoped she would. Though as the years passed, and the woman disappeared, the memories of Arizona faded as well. Callie replaced pictures of Arizona with pictures of Sofia, and she did a good job of making it seem like Arizona never existed in their lives.

Letting the water run over her slumped head, she knew tears started to stream down her face as well. She had not heard from Arizona in 15 years. She had kept her mind busy with work and raising Sofia, that she avoided the thought of the woman at all costs. Her return, however, brought back years of bottled up feelings.

Callie wanted nothing more than to get as far away from the hospital as possible. She wanted to get away from the woman who shattered her into a million pieces. However, a part of her wanted to see the person who still held a large part of her heart.

Stepping out of the shower, she thought she would just go to work and leave it to fate. She would go about her day and leave it to the universe to see if they were destined to see each other again.

000

After checking on her last post-op patient, Callie decides now would be a good time to have her lunch. Taking the elevator up to the cafeteria, it had only hit her now that she was able to keep her mind off of Arizona's visit. Hoping she could go the rest of the day without those thoughts, the elevator doors open and she sees the woman before her.

Arizona didn't dare blink her eyes, and she feels her mouth go dry. "Hey…"

Callie's eyes meet the familiar blue orbs that she had not been able to get out of her head. Arizona looked a little older, and the lines on her face were now evident, but it was still the face that occasionally haunted her dreams.

"I… I have to go." Callie slips out of the lift and walks as fast as she could in the opposite direction. Not daring to look back.

000

Callie leans against the staff bathroom sink and pinches the bridge of her nose. She wouldn't cry. She was done crying. She felt stupid. Stupid that for the split second she saw Arizona, it felt like the past 15 years had not happened. She felt like she had simply run into her wife at work. Just like she's done so many times- fifteen years ago.

It was only when the thought of Sofia came into her mind that she had to run away. She had her daughter to take care of now, and she had no time to get caught up in her past.

"Callie?" a voice comes from the other side of the door.

"Uh, occupied," she calls out.

"Calliope, it's me…"

Callie recognizes the way her full name flows out of her mouth. After a long moment, she pushes off of the sink and regrets it.

The bathroom door unlocks.

"How'd you know I was in here?"

"I still remember you, Calliope." Arizona steps into the single bathroom and locks the door behind her.

Callie huffs. "What are you doing here?" she asks, her eyes focused on the tiled floor below her.

"I came to check up on you-"

Callie can't help but chuckle, "I don't need you to check up on me, especially not after all these years. I've been fine on my own, Arizona."

"I know, I- you've always been the strong one."

Callie runs her fingers through her hair and finally gathers the courage to look the woman in the eye. "Why did you leave?"

Arizona leans against the bathroom door and crosses her arms over her body. "I had to," she answers insecurely.

Callie purses her lips "Yeah, it was always easier for you to walk away, huh?"

"It's easier to remove a problem there's no solution to."

"You can't say that, you didn't even try!" Callie's voice comes cold and unforgiving.

Arizona shakes her head, "Even if I did, I'm not the same person you fell in love with."

"You're right, you're not. The woman I fell in love with taught me to be strong when things got hard… and I really thank her for teaching me all that because she ended up being the reason I had to use that lesson."

Arizona sighs "It was that or I stayed and made you miserable, Calliope. It was that or you lived the rest of your life with a stranger who looked like your wife."

Callie rolls her eyes and shakes her head, "You're right. I lost my wife in that plane crash and the fact that she didn't try coming back is something I live with every day."

"I know it doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry for your loss… really." Arizona pushes herself off the door and awkwardly stands before Callie. "My flight leaves in an hour."

Callie simply brushes off the apology. She didn't need that now after 15 years. "Where are you now?"

"Texas."

"Texas?" Callie creases her forehead.

Arizona nods her head, "North-east, where my dad's side's of the family is from. It's a small town. No snow, no traffic, easy, boring life for someone living on their own."

Callie exhales heavily, "How's that holding up for you?"

"It's good. You have a lot of time on your own so I've been gardening." Arizona rambles nervously.

"And you're taken care of?"

"Yes Calliope, I'm doing just fine."

"Okay." Callie nods her head. She still cares about the woman, even if she wasn't her wife anymore.

"Calliope, Sofia's funds are still under her name. You'll be able to open it when she needs it."

"We don't need your money, Arizona."

"I know… but it's there. If anything happens, it's there. It's the least I could do for your daughter."

Callie closes her eyes, "So that's it? You're just going to walk away again?"

"We're different people with different lives now, Calliope."

Callie thinks for a moment and then opens her mouth to talk, "Will you be at Sofia's high school graduation too?"

Arizona's eyes widen and she shifts uncomfortably on her feet. Swallowing the lump in her throat she slowly nods her head. "If it means something, she meant the world to me at one point… or to who I was back then. You both did. I still come to see you two in case that Arizona comes back."

"And she hasn't?"

Arizona shakes her head, "I'm sorry."

Callie pushes off of the sink and stands in front of the other woman, "I know… you should go before you miss your flight."

"That's it?" Arizona asks.

Callie nods her head, "I have to let you go. I can't keep chasing a woman who's no longer here, right?"

Arizona gives her a weak smile, "You take care of yourself, okay?"

Callie sighs, "You too…"

Arizona offers her hand but Callie pulls her into a hug. Callie still didn't want to believe it, but as soon as she wraps her arms around Arizona, she knew she'd made the right decision. She could still feel her Arizona. Still feel her familiar embrace– but the person in her arms was no longer the one she fell in love with all those years ago.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: All copyrighted material belongs to their respective owners. This is a work of fiction. This not for profit. No infringement intended.

~author's note~ WARNING for character death, but other than that, I hope it's alright. Constructive feedback welcomed, as always. Thanks for reading. :)

Part 3

"Will I get to see you the next time I come to Seattle?"

"Of course…you'll never be a stranger around here."

"The same goes for you…if you somehow end up in small town Texas."

"I'll keep that in mind," Callie smiles.

As the two women walk down the small hallway, a younger image of Callie turns the corner and comes face to face with the two doctors.

"Mom!" Sofia squeaks off guard.

"Hey, you just come in from school?" Callie asks.

"Yeah, I left as soon as I could." Sofia drags her gaze down Arizona, and then back at her mother. Giving Callie a look that urged her to explain.

Callie tilts her head to the side curiously. "Oh! Right, Arizona, this is my daughter Sofia…" she tries to make it seem like she was introducing a stranger to her daughter. How else do you introduce a parent that wasn't there?

"We've met," Arizona flashes her dimples.

"We have," Sofia smiles but it soon fades when she remembers the reason why she's there. "How'd it go Andy, Dr. Robbins?"

Arizona's face drops and the two other women instantly knew. "Sofia…" she says softly.

Sofia takes a step back when she feels the ache of her heart stopping in her chest.

"I'm sorry," Arizona whispers.

The young girl slowly shakes her head and her bottom lip quivers. Andy was the little sister she never had.

"Mija?" Callie places her hand on her daughter's elbow. "We knew there was a chance she wouldn't make it."

"That's why they called her!" Sofia could no longer hold back the shock and anger. "She was the specialist they called in to save her!" She shoots Arizona a look that causes the other woman to look down at her feet. "You were supposed to save her! That's your job. They didn't call you all the way over here to kill her!"

"Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres!" Callie scolds. "You know these things happen," she said more softly.

"What?" Sofia wipes her tear-stained cheeks with the back of her hand.

"These things happen…you know that. I lose patients all the time. Sometimes it's just their time to go." Callie explains.

"No… what did you just call me?" Sofia looks up at her mother with strong eyes that look straight through Callie's soul.

"Sofia…" Callie sighs when she realizes what had slipped out of her mouth. Sofia's birth certificate had her full name, but she became 'Sofia Torres' on every other document after she turned four.

"Sofia Robbin?" Sofia knits her eyebrows. Sloan, she knew was her father's last name, but the Robbin threw her off.

"Sofia…" Arizona breaks the intense stare between the mother and child. "I promise I did everything I could-"

"Don't!" Sofia snaps at the doctor.

"Sofia! I have never taught you to disrespect someone like that, especially not someone who has done nothing wrong. I know you're upset, but Dr. Robbins didn't come here to take a life and you know that."

"Robbins…" Sofia put two and two together in her head over her mother's mini lecture. "Robbin as in Doctor Robbins?" she asks.

Callie glances at Arizona and then back at her daughter. "Yea..." she sighs, "that's your birth name."

"I knew it! You two were best friends!" Sofia figures. The other woman clearly meant something to her mother at one point- enough for Callie to put part of the doctor's name in hers.

"No… we weren't." Callie takes a deep breath, "Dr. Robbins was my wife."

Sofia's eyes widen and her jaw drop slightly. Arizona mirrors Sofia's facial expression as she darts her eyes between Callie and Sofia.

"Dr. Robbins was your mother… legally," Callie huffs. "At one point. We divorced right after your father died and I couldn't let you mourn the loss of two parents so I erased her from your life."

Sofia feels betrayed. For as long as she could remember, she and Callie had been nothing but honest to each other. This went against all of that. "WELL…" Sofia clears her throat, "since Andy is no longer here, I'll just see you at home, mom." She storms down the hall and out of sight before Callie could stop her.

"You didn't have to tell her," Arizona mutters. "I was fine with being the guest doctor."

"No," Callie shakes her head. "I lied to my own daughter for 15 years. It was about time I told her the truth."

"Callie, she's going to be mad…"

"She'll cool down… she just needs a little space. She gets that from me." Callie replies.

"You don't have to justify her actions, Callie. I expected that." Arizona places her hand on Callie's elbow.

"I'll have to tell her everything when I get home. Might not be pretty, but she'll come around." Callie awkwardly taps the hand Arizona had on her elbow, "You should go. You're going to miss your flight."

000

Arizona shut her eyes as her plane flies over Seattle. Flying was easier now, but she still struggled to keep the haunting thoughts out of her head. Placing her hand on her false limb, she feels the hard plastic through her pants. She couldn't help but imagine what her life would be like if she wasn't like this- if she had never gotten on that plane. That crash took everything from her. It took a part of her body and it took an even greater part of her soul.

She became as cold as the nights they spent starving in the wilderness, and as unforgiving as the days she laid bleeding out in the dirt.

It changed her so much; it tore her enough to break apart the family she was hoping to build with Callie.

She would never admit it but she still loved her. It always was and always would be Callie. She just couldn't find it in herself to go back. Not like this. Callie deserved the best and she no longer saw herself as that person. Callie deserved joy and happiness, and she could no longer give her that.

000

"So that's it. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," Callie swore after she explained everything to her daughter. "I didn't mean to lie to you, or deprive you of the truth or whatever. I wanted to protect you from any more heartache."

"… and you're okay with her just leaving again?" Sofia asks.

Callie sighs, "I am now. We have to let things go sometimes, Sofia. Things don't always go the way we want them to."

"Alright... if you're okay with it then I'm okay with it too." Sofia hops off her stool and wraps her arms around her teary-eyed mother.

"You're all I have left, Sofia." Callie could no longer hold back the tears that burned in her eyes.

"I know, mom," Sofia rubs small circles on her mother's back, "I'm always going to be here, I promise."

-15 years later-

Arizona walks down the familiar halls of Seattle Grace Mercy West until she gets to the door she dreads to open. Taking a deep breath, she turns the knob and finds an image of Callie that looks exactly like she did in Joe's bathroom, almost 40 years ago.

"Dr. Robbins," Sofia greets her.

"Sofia," Arizona leans her cane against the wall and wraps her arms around the young woman. "How is she?" she glances at the still body on the hospital bed.

"I told her that you were coming in today and she got so excited she skipped her nap. She fell asleep about an hour ago." Sofia offers the seat beside Callie's bed.

Arizona sits down and takes Callie's hand closest to her. Running her thumb down the soft skin, she still recognizes the familiar hand. They were aged and slightly clubbed from hypoxia, but they were still the loving hands that have saved thousands of lives.

"Arizona…" Callie opens her eyes and weakly smiles.

"Hey beautiful," Arizona kisses Callie's knuckles.

Callie chuckles and coughs from the excess fluid in her lungs. "You've always been the pretty one."

"Not next to you." Arizona brushes the woman's hair away from her face and flashes her dimples.

"Are you really here?" Callie struggles to breathe.

"Yes, I'm right here." She grips onto her hand.

"Did you come to say good bye?"

Arizona places her hand on Callie's forearm, "I came to make sure you're taken care of."

"You still care?"

"I never stopped caring, Calliope."

Callie smiles and slightly gasps for air, "I'm really tired."

"I know honey, you take it easy alright?" Arizona rubs Callie's forearm.

"Will you be here when I wake up?" Callie asks, her eyes becoming heavy with fatigue.

Arizona nods her head.

"Promise?"

"Promise…" Arizona stands up and kisses her cheek. She was thin and fragile, but kissing her still felt the same.

Callie smiles and let her eyes shut slowly. She dozed off again, and as promised, Arizona was there when she woke up. In fact, Arizona was there every time she woke up. Almost a week had gone by and Arizona did nothing but stay by her side. She wasn't sure where she stayed, or how long she would stay in Seattle, but she didn't want their time together to end.

Sofia watched Arizona care for her mother as if they had been married this whole time. She called Arizona when Callie's emphysema had gotten worse and she was sure her mother didn't have much time left. After all that they'd been through, she knew Arizona meant a lot to her mother so she tried her best to reach out to her. She felt awkward at first, but the two of them warmed up and even bonded as they kept Callie company. They knew time was limited so Sofia stayed the night as often as she could and Arizona made sure she was there whenever Sofia couldn't be.

"Sofia, could you give us a minute?" Callie asks one day.

"Sure," Sofia stands up and heads towards the door. "I'll be right outside," she says before closing the door behind her.

"Arizona…" Callie says softly.

"What is it, Calliope?" Arizona leans in to hear her better.

"Do you remember… when we took Sofia home?"

Arizona nods her head.

"I promised you we'd go to Spain…" Callie coughs up, "I want to take you to Spain."

"Calliope…"

"I promised. I don't want to leave without filling my promise." Callie takes Arizona's hand.

"Callie, don't talk like that-"

"It was still a promise, Arizona."

"But I didn't keep my half of the promise, Calliope…" Arizona says sadly.

Callie squeezes her hand and smiles, "Make it up to me now. Let me take you to Spain."

000

Knowing she'd be in good hands, and to grant her final wishes, Callie's doctor let her travel.

"Are you ready?" Arizona asks.

"More than ready," Callie replies.

Arizona locks their fingers and opens the door with her other hand. She steps out and guides the other woman out of the car after her. Callie's nurse helps her transfer onto a wheel chair and Sofia secures her oxygen tank.

"Can we get close to the water?" Callie requests.

"I can wheel you up to the end of the boardwalk, Dr. Torres." The nurse replies.

"Okay," Callie nods her head and reaches for Arizona's hand. She gives the other woman a small smile and nods her head to tell the nurse she was ready to be moved forward.

The nurse wheels them as close to the water as Callie's wheelchair could take them. The sight was beautiful. It was better than Arizona had dreamed it would be. This was the beach she had wanted to visit her whole life, but never got around to it after everything changed.

"Sofia?" Callie tugs at her daughter's sleeve, "Would you help me up?"

The nurse assists Callie off the chair and Sofia holds onto her mother for support.

"I want to walk to the water." Callie orders.

"Dr. Torres…" the nurse was about to protest but Callie shakes her head.

"I can last five minutes," Callie defends.

"I'll take her," Sofia tells the nurse and wraps her arm around her mother's side.

"Here, let me help," Arizona takes Callie's other side and gives what little support she could.

"Thank you," Callie walks forward to the edge of the wooden planks. Slowly lifting her foot, she steps down until her feet met the soft sand beneath her. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. Her body was in pain but she focuses on the gorgeous view of the ocean and the slight tint of saltwater that seeped past her oxygen tube.

"Take it nice and slow, mom," Sofia guides her mother through the sandy beach.

"I know, I know…" Callie teases.

When they get to the edge of the water, Callie let's go of her daughter's hand, and holds on to Arizona's. "Thanks darling… could you give us a minute?"

"Sure, I'll be right back there." Sofia steps back and then walks away to give her mother some space.

Callie was fighting her own body, and it took all the strength she had in her to stand. Arizona held on to her and she knew it was worth it.

"Calliope this is beautiful… thank you for bringing me here. You really didn't have to."

"I wanted to, Arizona. I've dreamed of taking you here after you made my dreams come true."

Arizona drops her gaze in shame. After all this time, Callie still thought of her dreams, even though she walked out on theirs. "I messed up pretty bad, huh?" she says softly.

"Don't think like that, Arizona." Callie lifts her chin. "Things don't always go the way we want them to… I learned that time and time again… but what matters are the small things that go just right along the way."

"Our first kiss?" Arizona blushes.

"Our first time…" Callie arches her still perfectly arched eyebrow, "Our wedding, our honeymoon, our trip to New York!" she lists her favourite memories with Arizona.

"It was too late when I realized I should have tried harder," Arizona mutters.

"I know… time really isn't our friend in this life." Callie sees the regret in her eyes.

"I wish we could have done it the right way."

"Me too," Callie takes a step closer and wraps her arms around the smaller woman.

"You always know what to say," Arizona cups Callie's aged face and brushes her thumb across her bottom lip.

"With age comes wisdom?" Callie snorts.

"Probably… and we've got lots of years on us," Arizona chuckles softly. "After all these years you still make my heart pound," she says nervously at their close proximity.

"Mine too," Callie replies, "it's always been you."

Arizona closes her eyes and rests her forehead against Callie's. "It's always been you too."

000

Sofia sat a few yards away, drawing patterns on the sand with a stick, when two women catch her attention. A slightly taller brunette, about 30 years of age, locks lips with a shorter blonde. When she turns away for a split second, her gaze goes back to the spot and she finds her 70-year old mother holding Arizona in a tight embrace.

-1 year later-

Sofia kneels down on the soft grass and places a small vase of flowers in front of her.

"Hey mom… I know I missed your birthday yesterday but I got caught up at work," she guiltily picks at the material of her pants. "I rebuilt a man's rib cage… you should have seen it. He was pinned between two cars when they found him. We're re-growing his costal cartilage thanks to your research."

Sofia re-positions herself to get comfortable, and sits on her bottom with her legs folded. She lived by the promise of always being there for her mother so she visited her whenever she had a story to tell. Today not being an exception.

"Dr. McNeil retired the other day so, mom… I'm head of orthopedics now." Sofia smiles, "I promise I won't wreck your department…" She tells her mother about her plans, and next steps to improve the wing, until she realizes the amount of time she had spent with her.

"I have to go now, but I'll come back soon." Sofia kisses the palm of her hand and places it on the marble stone in front of her. "I miss you, mom. I wish you were here to see this." She stares at her mother's engraved name for a moment and then stands up.

She takes two steps to the side and kneels down again.

"I hope you're taking care of my mom up there, Arizona." Sofia taps the top of the headstone, "Wherever you two are, don't ever let her go again."


End file.
